The Swordswoman Marle
by Sailor Phantom of Middle Earth
Summary: "Princess Nadia is know for being a tomboy who never listens to her father. She only proves this even more after cutting her hair and picking up a sword instead of a bow. Now with the Millennial Fair starting, she plans her escape, unaware of the adventure of a lifetime awaiting her." An AU where Marle is the main character of CT. Follows the story from her perspective.
1. Chapter 1 - New Game

**Chapter 1 **

**A New Day Begins**

**Or**

**A Short Introduction**

The loud pop and banging of fireworks went off in the distance, announcing the start of the Millennial fair. Followed by it is the sound of a bell ringing, the sound echoing through the town and even reaching the castle where a princess slept. As the bell finished it's joyous song for a wonderful new day.

The princess moaned lightly, mumbling something about a little longer. Her eyes shot open suddenly as a thought occurred to her. Today is the first day of the Millennial fair. No classes or instructions or duties to perform. It was her day off. Though her teachers would argue that most days were her day off as she skipped several of her lessons. Or half listened to most of them. But to her, this was her day.

Princess Nadia had decided to take the day off completely. No servants, no rules, and no castle. She was going to spend the day out like a normal person instead of a princess. What better day than today! She had it all planned out. Even what she would wear.

Originally she was going to wear her lovely white outfit. It is her favorite and less conspicuous than her dress. But a few days prior she saw a visitor enter the castle grounds. Even her casual clothes would certainly stand out among the crowd.

So after much convincing and a little pleading to a close servant of hers, she obtained some common clothes. Nadia pulled the green tunic and blue scarf from the back of her closet. It was the perfect hiding spot. There were so many dresses inside she never wore that no one ever bothered going through it.

Also hiding in the back is a sword, or katana to be more precise. She made sure to learn the correct name after getting it.

The king had tried in vain to teach his daughter how to use a crossbow. She humored him for a short while but insisted that a sword would be of far better use. It took a lot of pouting, tantrums, and again some pleading but she was unable to get her way. The princess rarely attended any lessons for the bow, but instead would sneak off to watch the knights practice. She even got her hands on an old katana. It was not ideal but it was at least something. She only wished there was someone to teach her. Until she could convince someone, she had to make do with watching and practicing on her own in secret. If her father ever found out.

Well, she already had dealt with the consequences of cutting her hair short without warning anyone. She always reasoned that had she told her father about wanting to cut her hair, he would ban all scissors or cutting utensils from the castle. And that would make things difficult for anyone. So really she did everyone a favor by doing it herself. At least, after the month her father finally stopped fuming about it. She had the chancellor to thank for that. He was able to finally reason with the king that like all hair, hers would grow back.

It was after all that she finally felt she fit the title so many had given her, the tomboy princess.

Now she was out to prove she is more than just a princess. There would be lots of yelling when she got back. But it would be worth it. To have just one day to be herself and to be ordinary. Well, maybe not completely ordinary she mused with a smile.

Preparing for the day took longer than she planned, mostly due to indecision on what to take or leave behind. When she finished and looked at herself in the mirror, she was quite proud of her work. She was certain that if anyone from the castle were to spot her, they would never have guessed she was the princess. Not that she was wanting to take that chance. Which is exactly why she made sure her escape from the castle was as quiet and undetected as possible. It was much easier today since most of the servants were given a day off. The guards at the door however would never let her pass without question. But she had planned for this.

Carefully she made her way to the servant's quarters. It was mostly empty, just as she hoped. The few who occupied it were not watching the door. Or the door leading out. Each step she took seemed to echo loudly in her mind, but none of the servants noticed. Just as carefully she opened the door. It creaked loudly. She froze in fear of being caught and readied herself for a good lecturing.

Nothing happened.

The servants remained oblivious to her presence. Nadia did a silent cheer and snuck out, making sure the door was closed behind her.

She made it.

As much as she wanted to celebrate that very moment, she knew now was not the best time. First she'd have to put some distance between her and the castle.

The princess ran through the path and into the woods leading out to the little town of Truce. The creatures in the forest are not friendly, she reminded herself. The times she had gone threw were always with a dozen or so guards. Along with her father of course. She did her best to avoid any unnecessary fights, but happened to startle a bird. It's only one, she thought, I can handle that. The bird for some reason had picked up a bell from somewhere and rang it as loudly as possible. That was annoying. Ready for a fight, Nadia pulled out her sword from the sheath. Suddenly from the bushes came two large bugs. She nearly dropped her sword in disbelief.

"Oh come on!" She yelled at the bird.

Three against one ended up being too much for her so she had to flee, but not without receiving some good cuts and bruises. Nothing terrible but they were going to be a nice shade of purple. No wonder the guards always avoided that bird. Her continued trek through the forest was much more careful. Never getting too close to any of the creatures and avoiding anything that flew.

Her true freedom was reached once the entrance, or exit in her case, was reached. The princess ran out at full speed and into the sunlight. Now she allowed herself a moment of victory. After all the trouble she had gone through, she had finally made it out. Truce village was not far off, another fifteen minutes walk maybe. At least that's how long it took when she had gone with her father and the guards. Fifteen or what felt like an hour later, she reached Truce village. "Yes! Almost there!" With her excitement renewed, she made her way to the town square.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Millennial Fair

**Chapter 2**

**The Millennial Fair **

**Or**

**As Leene's Bell Sounds**

Truce village is a small enough place that she should not get lost. Is what she thought. It was not so much that she was lost, but a little too distracted by her own thoughts. Like what name she should call herself if anyone should ask. Nadia would obviously give her away as the princess. Not even her disguise could help her then. So an alias was needed. There was one she particularly liked that she had read in a book about a mighty princess, X-Ena. Well, that's how she thought it was pronounced. But she decided against that one for it sounded a little too exotic for any regular person in Gaurdia. The princess had a list of potential names back at the castle, but of course she forgot the names listed.

"Come on mommy! Hurry hurry!" A little boy shouted excitedly to his mother. The woman did her best to keep up. She laughed lightly when she replied, "The fair is not leaving until late tonight."

That's right, she thought. The Moonlight Parade is that evening as well. Nadia knew that if she had any chance of seeing it, she would need to be home before too many servants notice. Word would eventually get around, the knights would hear, next the guards, and one of them always told her father. She hoped that she would have at least a few hours before that happened. First she had to get to Leene's square.

The excited crowds of people helped direct her to the square. Once arriving she paused to take it all in. And proceeded to get bumped into by several people. That was a new experience.

"Don't just stand at the entrance, move!" A rather rude man told her as he walks by.

Nadia brushed it off and ran in. Though she nearly got run over by a group of runners. Once by the fountain she was able to take everything in again. It was all decorated with bright tents, stalls, balloons, and crowds of people. Several merchants called out to anyone who passed by. Nadia would have gone and looked, had she thought to bring any money with her.

There was too much to see. She was far too excited now to simply stay in one place for much longer. The princess took off at a run to explore everything. Only she did not know where to start. She ran up the stairs and was greeted by Leene's bell. The old bronze bell hung silently, not having made it's sweet sound since early that morning.

The upper level looked bigger than the lower level. Nadia ran to the right side until she reached a wall. Below the wall is another stall with a sad little girl and an older man waiting with several bottles and cups. Just beyond that was another path which she could not see beyond. But what is on the other side, she wondered and took off at another run for the other side.

Before she could see the young man walking up the stairs and to the fountain, she collided with him. "Oof!" The two fell backwards from the impact before hitting the ground.

"Ow, that hurt." Nadia brushed herself off, checking for any more bruises. Then she remembered that she had ran into someone and not something. She went over the the young man, "I'm so sorry, are you ok?" Nadia raised a hand to her chest on instinct to hold her pendant back but when she did not feel it there she panicked. "Oh no! My pendant!"

Her pendant was the one possession she never left without. It had become like part of her in a way. Is it because her mother gave it to her? Maybe because it is an old family heirloom. Or something else she never quite understood. What ever the reason, she knew it had to be found. Her father would be wondering what happened to it if she came home with it missing.

While she searched there was a gentle tapping on her shoulder. "Don't tell me I lost it!" She was far too concerned with the loss of her pendant than who ever came to bother her.

There was another tap on her shoulder, which she promptly ignored. The hand grabbed her shoulder. This startled her enough to look and see the young man holding her pendant up.

"Oh thank you! It's old and has a lot of sentimental value." She expected him to return it immediately. When he did not she asked, "May I have it back?"

He nodded and handed it over.

"Thank you." As she clasped it back around her neck, an idea came. "I came to see the festival. You live around here right? I feel a little out of place so, maybe you can show me around?"

The young man blinked at her surprised but silent. Was that a no she wondered.

"Oh come on, please?" Trying again she offered her sweetest smile.

This time he nodded.

"Yay! You are a true gentleman! Oh, I should tell you my name." A name which she had not decided on! Nadia searched her memory for every name she ever heard of. "It is, um," Her thoughts brought her to on of her history lectures. "Marle! Right, call me Marle." Ok, so it was not the most confident of replies but he seemed to believe her well enough. "So what's your name?" The boy had yet to say a word that she wondered if he spoke at all.

"Crono." Was his simple reply.

"That's a nice name, pleasure to meet you Crono." Nadia, or Marle, held back a curtsy. Not want to give anything away to who she really was. "Lead the way Crono!" She opened her arms wide so he might choose either direction. He choose to go up past the bell where two young men stood.

"Lucca isn't finished setting up," One said. "Why don't you come back later?" The other suggested.

She noticed he seemed a little disappointed but nodded. Marle tugged on his arm. "Come on Crono!" He smiled and went off the the left and down the stairs. There a little girl stood by a stall with the remains of tears in her eyes. Across from her was an older man looking very bored and anxiously at the bottles beside him. Crono walked over to the little girl. "I lost my cat," she sniffled.

Crono patted the top of her head with a kind smile. The girl looked up at him and did her best to do the same. "We should keep an eye out for her cat." He nodded.

The two walked over to the man next. "Hey kid! You think you can beat me in a drinking contest?" Marle wondered if he would take on his challenge.

He nodded and grabbed a cup.

"First one to drink eight cups wins." The man poured sixteen cups for them both. "Care to give us the go miss?"

"Alright! Ready, go!"

They started gulping down the drinks immediately. Crono was slower than the other man, who had more experience with this game. He lost with only two drinks left. "Haha, better luck next time."

Though defeated, Crono turned to Marle with a smile. She giggled, "You sure are competitive huh Crono?"

No answer. Marle wondered why he never spoke. Crono walked down a bit until they clearly heard music playing. His eyes lit up as he took her hand to lead her towards the source. They found themselves with a small group of people listening or dancing to primitive music. The musicians and dancers wore grab fitting the melody, only the environment was out of place. Crono moved to an open area and started dancing. Marle laughed at his odd dancing moves before joining him. Her dancing was more graceful than Crono's though she was making most of it up as she went. The dances she knew were not fitting the music.

After a bit of fun the two left for the other side. A loud grumbling noise surprised Marle. She laughed after realizing it was Crono's stomach. "You miss breakfast this morning?" Come to think of it, so did she. On the table next to them she found a sack with food, "Here you are." Crono took it without hesitation. Marle laughed again. There was a bit left so she finished it off. Further down the path a man stood yelling at anyone who passed by.

"Hey you two!" He called. "Come try out Lucca's invention, the fighting robot! You'll earn silver points if you win!"

Crono smiled brightly and lead Marle along. They stopped at the clearing to gaze at the large machine before them. Marle had not seen anything like it. Crono on the other hand looked more excited now than she had seen him. He turned to her and pointed to her sword.

"You wan to know if I can fight?" He nodded. "Yeah!" She was not about to admit that her first battle was today.

Crono smiled and shook his head. Did he not believe her she wondered. He held out his hand and nodded. Eagerly she took his but he turned it over to examine it. Once more he shook his head and smiled. Crono then held out his hand for her to see. It had bruises and callous all over. With his free hand he patted the handle of his blade. What he was saying made sense. He could tell that she was not experienced with a sword because her hands were pristine.

"Ok, you got me." She laughed. So much for keeping that a secret. "I've only started today. But I've been watching other do it and I know I can fight."

Crono nodded and approached the robot.

Suddenly it sang. Crono was unfazed by it's sudden burst into song as he hurried behind it.

_"They call me Gato,_

_I have metal Joints, _

_Beat me up, _

_and earn 15 silver-" _

It stopped, hunched over a moment, then stood back up. "Training mode active."

Marle's eyes lit up. Crono was going to teach her how to fight. Before he came back around Marle had pulled out her sword and readied her stance. The young man shook his head as he walked to her. With the katana still in it's sheath, he adjusted her footing. Corrected her hold on the sword and fixed her back posture.

Marle was rather surprised at how attentive posture was for sword fighting. She had noticed it in the knight's training but thought it was only a formality. She began to see a contention between her training as a princess and a swordswoman.

When the correcting was done, Crono stood next to her with the same stance. He nodded and walked forward to the robot, striking it once on the stomach. The robot then threw a punch at him but Crono back away in a simple step. He looked back at Marle and gestured for her to go.

Now she was nervous. After seeing that powerful look fist swing down at Crono, she wondered if it would be too fast for her. Still, she was not about to back down from a real training lesson.

Carefully she did as Crono showed her. Walking forward and striking the robot. The same fist came swinging down at her. She nearly tried dashing away backwards but instantly remembered what Crono did and stepped back as fast as she could. Marle stumbled but avoided the fist.

Marle looked over at Crono. He gave her a thumbs up causing her to smile so wide she though her face would be stuck that way.

The trained continued a while more with the same. Crono would show Marle a move, and she would imitate it. She got hit a few times but the punches she found were not very hard, they just looked hard. Eventually Marle was able to mimic the stance easily with minor corrections.

At that point Crono walked behind the robot and did something.

The robot hunched over like it did before and stood again, suddenly pulling out it's mic to sing it's song. Crono hurried over to Marle before he finished and went into the same stance he showed her. They were going to fight for real now. The song finished and Crono was the first to make a move, dashing forward, slicing at the robot's side, dodging the arm, and falling back.

Marle decided to do the same and went for the other side. Her sword did not so much as even make a dent in the robot. She wondered if it was because of the metal body or her strength was not that great. That thought nearly made her forget about the robot's arm swing down at her. She backed away nearly avoiding it. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest from the close call.

A whistle caught her attention. Marle looked up to see Crono giving her a thumbs up. She did alright. This helped motivate her to keep going. Once again Crono dashed forward but this time striking the front. She noticed that even Crono's blade did not leave a scratch on the metal body. It must be very strong.

Crono backed away and nodded. Marle took this as a cue to attack, making sure to copy his moves still. Only when she was about to slash at the stomach the same as Crono, it opened up. From inside the belly, a gloved fist came flying out towards her. Marle did as she was taught and backed up, but it was not far enough. The fist hit her squarely in the stomach.

The breath was knocked out of her as she held her stomach with one hand. Like it's other punches, it looked more powerful than it felt, but it still hurt. Marle looked up to see Crono watching her, making sure she was alright. She gave him a thumbs up which he returned before setting out on the robot again.

He made it look so easy. Dodging hits, slashing the robot, gaining distance from the surprise fist to attack once it vanished inside again. Only this time the robot had picked up on his pattern and hit him with it's right fist before Crono could back away in time.

Marle gasped as she saw Crono get knocked over. Her surprise held her there a moment, long enough to see Crono roll from the force, get up, and back at the robot. His sword slashed at it's side twice before he jumped back once more. They waited for it's next move but it did nothing. It's right arm moved for another attack with it's microphone in hand and- _"I lost, you won, here's 15 points, now wasn't that fun!?"_

Marle blinked and sat back down, relieved the fight was over.

"Here," Crono handed her a tonic, another open one in his other hand ready to drink.

"Thanks." It was possibly the first time she had ever taken a tonic. In the castle she had never needed one. Plus if she ever got hurt there was her own personal nurse to help her. A lady who believed in odd remedies that tasted questionable but worked.

"Not bad." He told her after chugging down the tonic.

"Really?" She lit up at the minor praise. Crono nodded and offered his free hand to help her up. "Thank you." Her stomach still ached a little but all the injuries from her battle in the forest were healed. "Do you mind if we walk around a little bit?"

Crono smiled. It was a smile that Marle swore rejuvenated her, though others of more reasonable mind would argue it was actually the tonic.


	3. Chapter 3 - The Queen Returns

**Chapter 3**

**The Queen Returns**

**Or**

**Lucca's Scientific Side-trip**

The fair was actually much smaller than Marle had imagined. Walking with Crono revealed how over fantasized she had made it all after arriving. Not that it kept her from having a good time. Crono had once again tried to get past the two young men blocking the upper path, but it still was not ready yet. So back down they went.

After playing several games and earning 60 silver points, Crono rushed Marle over to the Tent of Horrors. Marle was hesitant at first, but agreed to go in after Crono gave her that wonderful smile.

For a place called the Tent of Horrors, it really was not all that frightening. The only "frightening" thing about it was the large floating head and hands. This Tent of Horrors should have been called Tent of Oddities, or Unusual Things. Not the best of titles, but it fit better than 'horror'.

The two had just enough money to play three rounds of what Marle decided to call, 'guess the triplet'. The first two times they guessed wrong, but guessed right on the third. The prize was a Poyozo Doll, A round furry creature with big eyes on it's beige face and pointed ears. She wondered if Crono would offer it to her, but the floating head offered to send it to Crono's home right away. So the two walked away without their prize in hand.

"You hear how Lucca and her dad made another crazy invention?" A young woman by the fountain said rather loudly to her friend.

Crono stopped suddenly to listen.

"I hope it doesn't blow up like all the others." The girl laughed. "It's probably ready now, you going to go see it?"

"Nah, don't want to risk it." The two laughed.

Having heard enough, Crono walked on with Marle behind him. She guessed that maybe Crono knew Lucca from the way he reacted. Marle had heard stories of a young woman and her father coming up with strange things that, more often than not, would go wrong. It was always something that intrigued her.

"Hey Crono, I'd like to see Lucca's new invention, it sounds like fun." Crono spun around to look at Marle, with a renewed light in his eyes.

He took her by the hand and just as he started forward, he stopped. Marle followed his gaze to a man selling all sorts of weapons. She quickly found herself interested as well.

"Let's look at this first." She suggested.

Crono nodded, already entranced by a certain sword. * The princess had seen all sorts used by the knights at the castle, but this one was unlike anything she had ever seen. The price was reasonable too, she thought. That is until she noticed Crono grimacing at it. Of course it would be too much for him.

With a defeated sigh and smile, Crono shrugged at Marle. "To Lucca?" He nodded.

"Excuse me, sir, ma'am." The merchant called. "Could I ask something of you?"

"Of course." Marle stepped forward and stopped. Did the man recognize her? She did not want to give the man another look and stepped back. Crono looked back to see what was wrong. "I'll wait here." She hoped that maybe Crono would be able to help the man before the man recognized her.

Her heart jumped into her throat when Crono looked back after talking to the man. He was asking about her! When Crono shook his head and walked back to Marle, she felt herself relax a little.

"What did he want?"

Crono pointed at her pendant sticking out from her blue scarf.

"My pendant!"

Crono nodded.

"He wanted to buy it!?"

He nodded again.

"Oh," Marle relaxed completely. She had not been discovered. "Come on! We should hurry before Lucca unveils her invention!"

Crono nodded again with his bright smile.

Lucca and her father were in the farthest part of the fair. Marle wondered if it was for safety reasons.

There was one last distraction before finally getting to Lucca's invention, a candy stall. She hoped that just maybe there would be ice cream, but settled for a small bag of sweets. With that finished, they hurried up the stairs where Lucca and her father awaited.

An older man stood between two large devices, each with a platform large enough for two people to stand comfortably on. A large box connected by wires with buttons and switches sat on the right side of each device. On the left device was a young woman with short purple hair covered by a leather helmet with an antenna on the right-hand side. Her clothes were similar to Crono's, an orange tunic, over a green long sleeve shirt, black shorts, brown boots and even a yellow-green scarf around her neck.

The tunic and scarf was certainly a common style in Guardia, which helped her fit in.

Marle's attention was brought back to the man when he said 'super dimension warp'.

"To use it, stand here." He pointed to the device where Lucca was working. The man then walked over to the other device, "and you'll be transported over here! It's the master work of my beautiful daughter Lucca!"

Lucca spun around, her large round glasses shone in the sun light along with her proud smile.

The crowd though was less than impressed.

"Lucca!" Crono called, catching the young woman's attention instantly.

"Crono!" She jumped down from the platform. "Where have you been?! No one wants to use the telepod."

Crono chuckled and shrugged. The way they interacted showed long term familiarity. A friendship that may have started at childhood.

"You'll try it won't you?"

It sounded more like a statement than a request Marle thought.

"Will you? If it works, I'll try it next." Marle asked to give a little extra incentive. Though it didn't seem Crono needed any. She could see the trust in his eyes when he looked at his friend Lucca. Despite the crowd's determined outlook of failure, Crono foresaw success.

Once Crono stood on the left platform, the two inventors got to work. Lucca's father at the left while Lucca worked on the right. Both shouting words that Marle recognized, but could not understand.

Suddenly Crono was enveloped in light, shattered into fragments of light, and disappeared. Everyone's eyes widened in surprise and a bit of terror. Marle moved her gaze to the right telepod where the light had formed into Crono reappearing.

The applause was scattered as most were dumbfounded to see that it had worked at all without blowing up.

Crono stepped off the platform with a big smile and gave Lucca a high five. "I knew it'd work."

Lucca laughed. "Of course you did, I made it after all." Said Lucca showing a great air of confidence.

Marle hurried over to the two friends. "Wow Crono that was amazing! I'll try it next!"

"Huh? Hey Crono how did you manage to pick up a cutie like her?"

Crono gave Lucca an embarrassed smile, as she looked back over to Marle with a curious glance.

"You wait right there, I'll be right back!" Marle said standing in front of the telepod ready to go.

"Everyone watch in awe as this vision of loveliness steps aboard the machine!" Lucca's father called. He sounded far more confident now than before. "You sure you want to do this?" The confidence did not last long.

"Of course! I'm not afraid." There was a strange excitement building in her the moment she saw the machine work. Along with a growing need to try it out. She was not sure why, but it almost felt like it was calling to her.

Marle stood on the platform and waited. Lucca's father went to the controls, to start up the telepod. The machine started to hum loudly. Lucca dashed over to the right one and began working. The hum of the machine got louder as the right telepod started up.

A warmth grew at her chest. Marle looked down and saw her pendant glimmering. Was it just the sunlight? She pulled it out to see it shine brightly. The warmth from it grew, but not enough to burn.

"What? My pendant, what is it...?" Marle suddenly felt herself getting pulled in all directions as the light surrounded her. Her pendant shining so brightly that it was almost blinding.

Something was wrong and Marle knew it. She could hear confused chatter from both Lucca and her father. Marle took hold of the pendant and hesitated before letting it go. Marle felt herself slipping away as the light consumed her. The warmth of the pendant was gone. She immediately regretted her decision as a wave of pain surged through her, knocking her out.

Floating, or was she flying? No, she was falling.

She thought she was. Marle woke up not floating, flying, or falling, but face down on the ground. Not the most glorious position for a princess. But for a princess disguised as a commoner, it was still not that great. Thankfully no one was making any fuss over it.

Only, there should be a very large fuss over her and the machine. What happened?

Marle looked up to find her surroundings had completely changed. She had expected to wake up in a bed or cradled in Crono's arms. The latter was more hopeful thinking, but neither appeared to be true.

She was still outside but, any signs of the fair were gone. Not even the sounds of people nearby could be heard. The clearing she was in was surrounded by trees and bushes. One side was blocked off by a rock face. There was an opening that lead out and the sound of water close by.

Though her teachers had told her if she had ever gotten lost, she need to stay put and wait. Marle decided it was better to have a look around.

The princess wished more so than ever before that she had been allowed to explore her kingdom. The place she found herself in was not in the least bit familiar. Had Lucca's device send her out of Guardia? With any luck she was not far from a town. Marle wandered around for what felt like an hour, all the while careful not to disturb any wildlife so they would not attack her.

Just as she began to lose hope in finding anyone, the bridge came into view. It was a simple wood and rope bridge but sturdy enough to cross. But, most of all it was the first sign of civilization.

In her excitement she ran across the bridge and into two blue birds. The birds flew upwards and about before fleeing. Marle readied her sword for when the birds would return. A minute passed with no sign of the bird's return and Marle relaxed.

"Craw!" The bird called from above.

Marle looked up to see the two birds back with two blue imps in their claws. "What?!"

The birds dropped the two imps on either side of the princess. Soon as the blue imps hit the ground the birds took off. Before they were too far Marle yelled at them.

"That is not fair and you know it you stupid birds!"

The imps paid no heed to the birds that had seemingly abandoned them to Marle. The one behind her took advantage of her distraction and tossed a rock at her. The rock hit her squarely on the bottom.

"OW!" Marle's anger for the birds quickly redirected to the imps. Pulling out her sword she swung her sword at the imp's head three times and it fell. Marle turned to the other imp who despite seeing it's companion fall, had hurried forward to kick her shin. "Ow!" The imp was too close to swing at so she bashed it over the head with the hilt. It fell with a soft thud.

Marle took a moment to inspect the two creatures and found they were both unconscious. The one she swung at did not have any cuts, but three long marks that would grow into colorful bruises before long. Were the imp's skin that thick?

She examined her blade to find it was not as sharp as she thought it had been. Had the robot dulled the blade? Then again it really was not very sharp to begin with. It was a used blade that none of the knights seemed to miss. She decided she would need to learn how to sharpen the blade if she were to make any better use of it.

"Do you really think she would be out this far?" A voice came from not far off.

The voice was not familiar but it was a voice! Not only that but, someone searching for someone. Even if it wasn't her they were looking for she was still about to be found!

"Who knows," Another voice spoke, "she's no where near town or-"

"Over here!" Marle called as she ran closer to the voices.

Heavy footsteps came rushing up the hill. Marle sheathed her sword as the two men came into view. The princess had never been so happy to see the knights in their old armor.

Except it wasn't old, it looked brand new and very well kept. Almost no signs of rust and a shine that she had never seen on it before. Either they were heavily punished by the captain of the royal guard, or they really like that old armor and spent weeks cleaning it up. The former seemed more plausible.

The two knights halted the moment they saw Marle.

"I am so glad to have found someone, I thought I was going to be lost all day, or longer."

"Y-your majesty?" One asked almost hesitantly.

They recognized her. Of course they did, the royal knights were always around the castle grounds and they were more familiar of her than she was of them. There were only a few she knew by name, and these she did not know. Her father was going to have a huge fit when she got back.

Marle sighed, "Yes. It's me. You'll be taking me back now?"

He nodded dumbfound. The other looked at her with a cold gaze, his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"You alright there?"

Her words were enough to provoke him into pulling out his sword and point it towards her. The other soldier was further dumbstruck by his companion's actions.

"Who are you?" He demanded.

Marle was near ready to pull out her own sword but thought better of it. A show of hostility would do nothing to improve her situation. "Mar-Princess Nadia." She replied calmly.

"Princess? But, are you not the queen?" The knight finally had regained his voice.

"Queen?" Both she and the other knight asked incredulously.

"Does she really look like Queen Leene to you? Look at her hair, her clothes?" The knight turned back to Marle. "It is a poor mystic disguise!"

"Mystic?!" She exclaimed.

There had not been any mystics around Guardia for hundreds of years. Admittedly the imps she had encountered were a type of mystic. Though these were born in the wild and acted like dumb creatures compared to the intelligent ones she heard about before. She did recall mystics did have the ability to change form, but that magic had long been lost since the war with Magus 400 years ago.

"But, if she is a mystic then why call itself Princess Nadia?" The kind worried knight reasoned quietly. "I've heard of no such princess, and the disguise, her clothes, she could be a..."

"A what?!" The knight turned his gaze to his companion. "Why would her face resemble the queen so if she were not a mystic to trick us?"

"Because I am a lost and confused traveler." She answered. "Where I am from, I am a princess."

"And where are you from?" The knight demanded once more, his sword faltering slightly from the weight.

"Truce village, in Guardia."

Both knights looked at her like she was mad. "You are in Truce canyon, just outside Truce village."

It was her turn think them mad. "That's impossible. Leene's square was built in Truce canyon hundreds of years ago!" The more she said the more the two knights looked at her as though she had turned purple and grown two more heads.

The knight lowered his sword, because of it's weight or he believed she was not a threat anymore, Marle would not know. "You are clearly mad," He stated and the other nodded numbly once more. "But, I shall not risk your guise be it a poor mystic attempt or a strange likeness to her royal majesty."

"I am not a mystic and I do not mean any harm." She assured. But, that did little to convince him.

"We shall escort you to the castle, where you will be questioned and contained."

Everything had got all mixed up. This was not the Guardia she knew.

"Bind her." The other knight continued his dumbfounded gaze, she began to wonder if that was all he could do. He attempted a protest but his companion ordered him once more. The knight nodded and pulled a rope from his bag.

"If you would put your hands behind-" He started to ask politely.

"There is no need to ask!" The knight took the rope and bound Marle's hands behind her.

"Ow! I would have done it." Maybe not right away or without complaint but she would have.

Marle was escorted down and out of the canyon with the kind yet dumb knight in front and the rude knight behind her. To keep an eye on both of them she guessed. They passed through the village with no interruptions but several confused stares by any who saw them. The village was like something out of her history book. Facts and images came rushing to mind as she pieced all she heard together. Queen Leene, mystics, and truce canyon. All of these were in her history book, during the war with Magus 400 years ago.

"Excuse me, but what year is it?" They already thought she was mad so she felt little harm in asking a ridiculous question.

The knight in front turned with a look of disbelief. "You are mad." She shrugged. "It's the year 600."

"600! Then the war with Magus and Queen Leene... she is..."

"Missing." The knight behind her said solemnly. "We have yet to find her. But, you may be able to provide information on her whereabouts, mystic."

"I am NOT a mystic!" That had gained the attention of a few more villagers who were doing their best to ignore them.

"That is enough, we will be at the castle soon."

Marle decided they had arrived too soon. She had not devised any plan on what to say or explain her appearance without making herself look even more crazy. The dungeon she was escorted to was up the stairs from the knights quarters, a good placement she thought. Any escape could be easily stopped if the knights were called upon. The tower dungeon was a good ways up, then a far ways down. She glanced out the windows and saw several more towers were being built.

They had just finished their trek to the dungeon when a new knight had come hurrying down. "The king- wants to- see her- now."

Marle exchanged glances with the men who escorted her. Both with the same incredulous expression. They shrugged in defeat and escorted Marle back up and down the stairs once more.

The knights showed little sign of fatigue as they approached the throne room. Marle on the other hand was having trouble keeping her legs from shaking. After wandering the mountain, through town, then up and down the tower, she was more than ready to take a break. Which had to wait a little while more.

The wide double doors were opened allowing her the first look at the king. At first glace she may have mistaken him for her father. He wore the same garb and held the same staff. Even his slumped posture was so close to her father's, defeated and worried, her father would be slouching like that before she walked into a room. The way he straightened up though was different, powerful and dignified. His face was not her father's, it was too young and brown hair framed it which her father never had.

His eyes widened in disbelief when his gaze fell on her. Marle did her best to be polite for the king as he approached. "Remarkable." Marle noticed her father's eyes and chin in the king. A chin she was glad not to have inherited. "You look younger than the day we met."

The princess blinked. "Younger than Queen Leene?" It was hard to believe how young woman were married off.

The king regained his composure at her question. "What is your name miss?"

"Princess Nadia, or Marle." She said without a second thought.

"A princess? Of what kingdom?" The king walked back to his throne, returning his intense gaze upon her. Marle found it difficult to lie with that gaze.

"Very far away." It was true, in a sense.

"She said she was from Truce village your Majesty." One of the knights declared, it was the rude one Marle noted.

"I'm afraid that is not very far Princess." There was a small smile forming. A bit of hope formed at that almost smile.

"That is, well, it is difficult to explain as I do not quite understand myself, your Majesty."

"Then please, explain what you can." He sat down on his throne, his posture far better than before.

"You'll think I'm mad." The king simply waved a hand for her to continue. Marle sighed, seeing little choice. She explained how she found herself on mountain, her wanderings, and to her discovery by the knights. "I am afraid I do not know how I got there, when I was in town before."

The king nodded. "There is still more you are not telling me," Marle flinched. "I also believe you mean us no harm." The rude knight flinched. "But there are still too many questions and my queen... is still missing." There was sorrow as he spoke. "Tell the knights the to continue the search." He told the other knight who nodded and took off.

"Your Majesty, if I may?" Marle stepped forward, much to the displeasure of the rude knight, who immediately started to pull out his sword. The king waved his hand and the rude knight sheathed it. "I believe the queen will be found soon."

The king allowed a grateful smile, "You are free to roam the castle and you may rest in the knight's quarters but, I would like you to stay for the time being."

"Thank you, your Majesty." Marle curtseyed.

The rude knight started to follow when the king ordered him to let her be. He obviously still did not trust her. Honestly, she did not blame him. So far she had done nothing to earn anyone's trust nor prove that she meant no harm. She would need to figure that out later. For now, Marle need to get some needed rest.

In the knights quarters was a long table with several knights in deep discussion with a knight in golden armor at the head. To the right were the beds. Marle chose the one farthest from the table. It was not as comfortable as her own but she found sleep very easy.


End file.
